Search results for "Typical challenges" in Home Design Ideas

When Joe Germann founded Motorhead Extraordinaire in 2005, his shop was your typical motorhead shop – lots of hand-me-downs, "way too many" piles of junk, and always too much work going on. Joe used the shop for full frame-up restorations that involved engine work, body work, painting, etc. – your typical hard-core home based restoration shop.
The shop was a 24' x 32' building with a cathedral ceiling and was carved up into two car bays (one with a lift), and a bay for the workshop area. The office was located in a spare room in the house, only big enough for one person to work in at a time. Typical of 15 year old shops, it had a collection of everything in every corner – "your basic junk shop."
Joe knew he needed a shop and home office to better meet his needs and to be a reflection of his business philosophies. His goals were simple:
1. Upgrade the workshop to the 21st century and make it more efficient for the space he had and the type of work he likes to do in there
2. Add a new office to run the business out of
3. Make it an enjoyable place to hang out to swill a few beers and smoke a few good cigars!
Mission accomplished.
Joe added a 12' x 22' office addition and remodeled the existing garage/workshop area. (Trying to simultaneously work on restorations – a '71 Corvette and a Raven – as well as doing engine work on his Wild Child drag car was a challenge, to say the least.) Both the new shop and office are fully furnished with a host of Lista storage and workspace products.
“ The Lista workspaces are simply awesome and work out so well for us. ”
Joe raves, "The Lista workspaces are simply awesome and work out so well for us. The desks are at a 35-1/2" workbench height so they are comfortable to use either standing up or sitting down in a Lista work chair. My workspace uses a Nexus frame system with 16" overhead cabinets and a large double hinged door storage cabinet with roll-out trays, which we use to store product catalogs and other heavy stacks of literature. In my wife Isabelle's work area, we used 12' of standard overhead cabinets fastened directly to the wall and a large 12' long double workspace. She has two heavy-duty Lista file cabinets, and believe me they are loaded up and work flawlessly!"
Joe is a big fan of Lista products, which he sells through his business. "Well-thought-out is an understatement. Lista workspace solutions are among the most functional, highest quality, and best value available today. There is nothing as sturdy and long lasting as Lista workspace products."

A new homeowner of a beautiful Mediterranean style home requested a pool combining a variety of outdoor living amenities. The request included an infinity edge pool and spa that would accommodate an area for a volleyball net, bar top, and fire pit all within a natural environment; and of course, a budget. Needless to say, it was a challenging process combining all of these requests and blending them into a space dedicated for a pool that led us to the aquatic environment seen in these images. The project resulted in building a large free form pool with strong classical lines, shapes, and symmetry. The shape allows the pool to blend within the natural environment as well as continue to be a strong architectural element that compliments the beauty of the Mediterranean home. The infinity edge spa includes 14 waterway jets with the nearest possible equipment location that is more than 100’ away. The pool was not only an aesthetic design challenge but also required mutual respect for the project’s complex hydraulic and construction details. In the process of construction, the homeowner decided the infinity edge basin should also be designed to function as a secondary spa. This secondary basin/spa can be used in large entertaining situations or if the family wants to take advantage of the fire pit while soaking. The glass tile was selected to magnify the beauty of the infinity edge spa and the overall design. The vessel was carefully cleaned and sealed to minimize efflorescence and staining that typically occurs over time. The decorative pedestals and urns seen around the pool edge are equipped for irrigation and drainage to allow for ease of year around maintenance and combine the elegance of the landscape with the hardscape. This Mediterranean inspired project blends some of the best materials available today and is the focal point of the home owner’s new property.
Photography: Daniel Driensky

Project Goal: Utilize an unfinished story and a half-space to give each daughter a bedroom on the second floor along with a new full bath.
Challenge 1: The sloped ceilings in the area presented a challenge to how we could most cost-effectively add a bathroom within building code limits.
Solution 1: We’ve come across this challenge often when trying to fit a bathroom in sloped ceiling spaces and the budget or roof doesn't support adding a dormer. In these cases, we built out what we call a "vanity soffit", a tall soffit spanning from higher on the angled portion down to a comfortable height above the faucet bringing the upper portion of the flat wall forward. Its width typically depends on lighting needs and other considerations in the space. The vanity soffit allows the vanity to drop back to the original wall maintaining floor space and clearances while also providing just enough additional height for a practical mirror. For further flexibility, we typically recommend a pivoting mirror.
Challenge 2: Homeowners were told the floor structure was sound to finish for living space. Due to the spans, the first-floor ceiling joists did not meet the requirements to be second-floor floor joists.
Solution 2: In order to provide a solid base for the new living space, we consulted our engineer. The existing 2x6 members spanned beyond the distance they could while still structurally supporting the new living space floor. We determined throughout most of the space we needed to add in (“sister”) 2 additional 2x6 joists between the existing joists.
This additional work also took place during an unseasonably warm spell in June yet we persevered. So proud of our hard-working team.
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When Joe Germann founded Motorhead Extraordinaire in 2005, his shop was your typical motorhead shop – lots of hand-me-downs, "way too many" piles of junk, and always too much work going on. Joe used the shop for full frame-up restorations that involved engine work, body work, painting, etc. – your typical hard-core home based restoration shop.
The shop was a 24' x 32' building with a cathedral ceiling and was carved up into two car bays (one with a lift), and a bay for the workshop area. The office was located in a spare room in the house, only big enough for one person to work in at a time. Typical of 15 year old shops, it had a collection of everything in every corner – "your basic junk shop."
Joe knew he needed a shop and home office to better meet his needs and to be a reflection of his business philosophies. His goals were simple:
1. Upgrade the workshop to the 21st century and make it more efficient for the space he had and the type of work he likes to do in there
2. Add a new office to run the business out of
3. Make it an enjoyable place to hang out to swill a few beers and smoke a few good cigars!
Mission accomplished.
Joe added a 12' x 22' office addition and remodeled the existing garage/workshop area. (Trying to simultaneously work on restorations – a '71 Corvette and a Raven – as well as doing engine work on his Wild Child drag car was a challenge, to say the least.) Both the new shop and office are fully furnished with a host of Lista storage and workspace products.
“ The Lista workspaces are simply awesome and work out so well for us. ”
Joe raves, "The Lista workspaces are simply awesome and work out so well for us. The desks are at a 35-1/2" workbench height so they are comfortable to use either standing up or sitting down in a Lista work chair. My workspace uses a Nexus frame system with 16" overhead cabinets and a large double hinged door storage cabinet with roll-out trays, which we use to store product catalogs and other heavy stacks of literature. In my wife Isabelle's work area, we used 12' of standard overhead cabinets fastened directly to the wall and a large 12' long double workspace. She has two heavy-duty Lista file cabinets, and believe me they are loaded up and work flawlessly!"
Joe is a big fan of Lista products, which he sells through his business. "Well-thought-out is an understatement. Lista workspace solutions are among the most functional, highest quality, and best value available today. There is nothing as sturdy and long lasting as Lista workspace products."

The client’s request was quite common - a typical 2800 sf builder home with 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, living space, and den. However, their desire was for this to be “anything but common.” The result is an innovative update on the production home for the modern era, and serves as a direct counterpoint to the neighborhood and its more conventional suburban housing stock, which focus views to the backyard and seeks to nullify the unique qualities and challenges of topography and the natural environment.
The Terraced House cautiously steps down the site’s steep topography, resulting in a more nuanced approach to site development than cutting and filling that is so common in the builder homes of the area. The compact house opens up in very focused views that capture the natural wooded setting, while masking the sounds and views of the directly adjacent roadway. The main living spaces face this major roadway, effectively flipping the typical orientation of a suburban home, and the main entrance pulls visitors up to the second floor and halfway through the site, providing a sense of procession and privacy absent in the typical suburban home.
Clad in a custom rain screen that reflects the wood of the surrounding landscape - while providing a glimpse into the interior tones that are used. The stepping “wood boxes” rest on a series of concrete walls that organize the site, retain the earth, and - in conjunction with the wood veneer panels - provide a subtle organic texture to the composition.
The interior spaces wrap around an interior knuckle that houses public zones and vertical circulation - allowing more private spaces to exist at the edges of the building. The windows get larger and more frequent as they ascend the building, culminating in the upstairs bedrooms that occupy the site like a tree house - giving views in all directions.
The Terraced House imports urban qualities to the suburban neighborhood and seeks to elevate the typical approach to production home construction, while being more in tune with modern family living patterns.
Overview:
Elm Grove
Size:
2,800 sf,
3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms
Completion Date:
September 2014
Services:
Architecture, Landscape Architecture
Interior Consultants: Amy Carman Design

Large transitional open concept dark wood floor and brown floor living room photo in Phoenix with gray walls

Nick McCullough
This is an example of a traditional landscaping in Columbus.
This is an example of a traditional landscaping in Columbus.

JUST SOLD: $600,000 short sale within walking distance of Siesta Key Beach
This 5 bedroom, 3 bath home within minutes from the beautiful Siesta Key Beach just closed at the price of $600,000. This was a short sale transaction, which presented some typical challenges along the way, but closed with the satisfaction of all parties involved.
A Short Sale transaction means that this is a sale for less than what is owed on the home. The bank must approve the seller to sell this way, as they have to provide evidence that they cannot pay off the note and not all of these transactions are approved. Once a contract is submitted, it typically takes an average of 3-6 months from contract to closing but they vary greatly. The majority of short-sales that Shayla has handled have fallen into the 3-6 month category with many these days closing in 90 days!
Both Buyers and Sellers face difficult and unique problems when dealing with a short-sale. As long as each party is educated by their agents and know what pitfalls and hurdles could come their way, the process isn't as painful as it could be. Unfortunately there are no set guidelines that fit every transaction. You should always expect delays with a short sale and having a professional agent to guide you is crucial. There are different reasons why the transaction may be delayed. Some of the most common are: the buyer not wanting to wait for a reply from the lienholder; the seller not wanting to move out or in denial that the have to sell their home this way; paperwork issues; loan delays; etc.
If you are considering entering a short sale transaction as a buyer, you should know that just because you offer full price does not ensure acceptance by the bank. They can counter any of the terms presented in the initial contract that is signed by both the buyer and seller. With the changes in the local market, lenders are looking at prices closer to market value whereas during the Recession, they were willing to accept lower offers. These are changes an experienced realtor is aware of and will consider when advising you on a short sale transaction!
In close, despite it's name, a "short sale" is NEVER short. They should deem them the "long sale." So working with a seasoned Realtor who is an expert in the distressed property transactions will save you a lot of grey hairs and stress along the way!

Photo: Angela Flournoy © 2017 Houzz
Inspiration for a cottage bedroom remodel in Oklahoma City
Inspiration for a cottage bedroom remodel in Oklahoma City

When Joe Germann founded Motorhead Extraordinaire in 2005, his shop was your typical motorhead shop – lots of hand-me-downs, "way too many" piles of junk, and always too much work going on. Joe used the shop for full frame-up restorations that involved engine work, body work, painting, etc. – your typical hard-core home based restoration shop.
The shop was a 24' x 32' building with a cathedral ceiling and was carved up into two car bays (one with a lift), and a bay for the workshop area. The office was located in a spare room in the house, only big enough for one person to work in at a time. Typical of 15 year old shops, it had a collection of everything in every corner – "your basic junk shop."
Joe knew he needed a shop and home office to better meet his needs and to be a reflection of his business philosophies. His goals were simple:
1. Upgrade the workshop to the 21st century and make it more efficient for the space he had and the type of work he likes to do in there
2. Add a new office to run the business out of
3. Make it an enjoyable place to hang out to swill a few beers and smoke a few good cigars!
Mission accomplished.
Joe added a 12' x 22' office addition and remodeled the existing garage/workshop area. (Trying to simultaneously work on restorations – a '71 Corvette and a Raven – as well as doing engine work on his Wild Child drag car was a challenge, to say the least.) Both the new shop and office are fully furnished with a host of Lista storage and workspace products.
“ The Lista workspaces are simply awesome and work out so well for us. ”
Joe raves, "The Lista workspaces are simply awesome and work out so well for us. The desks are at a 35-1/2" workbench height so they are comfortable to use either standing up or sitting down in a Lista work chair. My workspace uses a Nexus frame system with 16" overhead cabinets and a large double hinged door storage cabinet with roll-out trays, which we use to store product catalogs and other heavy stacks of literature. In my wife Isabelle's work area, we used 12' of standard overhead cabinets fastened directly to the wall and a large 12' long double workspace. She has two heavy-duty Lista file cabinets, and believe me they are loaded up and work flawlessly!"
Joe is a big fan of Lista products, which he sells through his business. "Well-thought-out is an understatement. Lista workspace solutions are among the most functional, highest quality, and best value available today. There is nothing as sturdy and long lasting as Lista workspace products."

HARDWARE: Emtek
Emtek - 30” Towel Bar in Matte Black and Contemporary Round Door Knob with Disc Rosette
I’ve been using Emtek for years. I have their front door keyless hardware and it’s changed my life. The brand is one of my go to sources when selecting door hardware for clients. It is simple, incredibly well made and both their Modern accessory collection and Contemporary door hardware collection are a go to.
I typically stick with one finish for hardware but here I mixed the matte black plumbing fixtures and hooks with brass lighting and door hardware. I like the lightness of the brass and warmth it brings. Everything in brass would have been too much for me and all black would look too heavy. The black plumbing fixtures, vanity and accessories with clean lines give the room just enough contrast and weight.

The client’s request was quite common - a typical 2800 sf builder home with 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, living space, and den. However, their desire was for this to be “anything but common.” The result is an innovative update on the production home for the modern era, and serves as a direct counterpoint to the neighborhood and its more conventional suburban housing stock, which focus views to the backyard and seeks to nullify the unique qualities and challenges of topography and the natural environment.
The Terraced House cautiously steps down the site’s steep topography, resulting in a more nuanced approach to site development than cutting and filling that is so common in the builder homes of the area. The compact house opens up in very focused views that capture the natural wooded setting, while masking the sounds and views of the directly adjacent roadway. The main living spaces face this major roadway, effectively flipping the typical orientation of a suburban home, and the main entrance pulls visitors up to the second floor and halfway through the site, providing a sense of procession and privacy absent in the typical suburban home.
Clad in a custom rain screen that reflects the wood of the surrounding landscape - while providing a glimpse into the interior tones that are used. The stepping “wood boxes” rest on a series of concrete walls that organize the site, retain the earth, and - in conjunction with the wood veneer panels - provide a subtle organic texture to the composition.
The interior spaces wrap around an interior knuckle that houses public zones and vertical circulation - allowing more private spaces to exist at the edges of the building. The windows get larger and more frequent as they ascend the building, culminating in the upstairs bedrooms that occupy the site like a tree house - giving views in all directions.
The Terraced House imports urban qualities to the suburban neighborhood and seeks to elevate the typical approach to production home construction, while being more in tune with modern family living patterns.
Overview:
Elm Grove
Size:
2,800 sf,
3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms
Completion Date:
September 2014
Services:
Architecture, Landscape Architecture
Interior Consultants: Amy Carman Design

Project Goal: Utilize an unfinished story and a half-space to give each daughter a bedroom on the second floor along with a new full bath.
Challenge 1: The sloped ceilings in the area presented a challenge to how we could most cost-effectively add a bathroom within building code limits.
Solution 1: We’ve come across this challenge often when trying to fit a bathroom in sloped ceiling spaces and the budget or roof doesn't support adding a dormer. In these cases, we built out what we call a "vanity soffit", a tall soffit spanning from higher on the angled portion down to a comfortable height above the faucet bringing the upper portion of the flat wall forward. Its width typically depends on lighting needs and other considerations in the space. The vanity soffit allows the vanity to drop back to the original wall maintaining floor space and clearances while also providing just enough additional height for a practical mirror. For further flexibility, we typically recommend a pivoting mirror.
Challenge 2: Homeowners were told the floor structure was sound to finish for living space. Due to the spans, the first-floor ceiling joists did not meet the requirements to be second-floor floor joists.
Solution 2: In order to provide a solid base for the new living space, we consulted our engineer. The existing 2x6 members spanned beyond the distance they could while still structurally supporting the new living space floor. We determined throughout most of the space we needed to add in (“sister”) 2 additional 2x6 joists between the existing joists.
This additional work also took place during an unseasonably warm spell in June yet we persevered. So proud of our hard-working team.

Emtek - Door Knob in Satin Brass
HARDWARE: Emtek
I’ve been using Emtek for years. I have their front door keyless hardware and it’s changed my life. The brand is one of my go to sources when selecting door hardware for clients. It is simple, incredibly well made and both their Modern accessory collection and Contemporary door hardware collection are a go to.
I typically stick with one finish for hardware but here I mixed the matte black plumbing fixtures and hooks with brass lighting and door hardware. I like the lightness of the brass and warmth it brings. Everything in brass would have been too much for me and all black would look too heavy. The black plumbing fixtures, vanity and accessories with clean lines give the room just enough contrast and weight.

Todd Wright
Inspiration for a large eclectic freestanding desk medium tone wood floor home office remodel in Other with beige walls, a corner fireplace and a brick fireplace
Inspiration for a large eclectic freestanding desk medium tone wood floor home office remodel in Other with beige walls, a corner fireplace and a brick fireplace

The client’s request was quite common - a typical 2800 sf builder home with 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, living space, and den. However, their desire was for this to be “anything but common.” The result is an innovative update on the production home for the modern era, and serves as a direct counterpoint to the neighborhood and its more conventional suburban housing stock, which focus views to the backyard and seeks to nullify the unique qualities and challenges of topography and the natural environment.
The Terraced House cautiously steps down the site’s steep topography, resulting in a more nuanced approach to site development than cutting and filling that is so common in the builder homes of the area. The compact house opens up in very focused views that capture the natural wooded setting, while masking the sounds and views of the directly adjacent roadway. The main living spaces face this major roadway, effectively flipping the typical orientation of a suburban home, and the main entrance pulls visitors up to the second floor and halfway through the site, providing a sense of procession and privacy absent in the typical suburban home.
Clad in a custom rain screen that reflects the wood of the surrounding landscape - while providing a glimpse into the interior tones that are used. The stepping “wood boxes” rest on a series of concrete walls that organize the site, retain the earth, and - in conjunction with the wood veneer panels - provide a subtle organic texture to the composition.
The interior spaces wrap around an interior knuckle that houses public zones and vertical circulation - allowing more private spaces to exist at the edges of the building. The windows get larger and more frequent as they ascend the building, culminating in the upstairs bedrooms that occupy the site like a tree house - giving views in all directions.
The Terraced House imports urban qualities to the suburban neighborhood and seeks to elevate the typical approach to production home construction, while being more in tune with modern family living patterns.
Overview:
Elm Grove
Size:
2,800 sf,
3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms
Completion Date:
September 2014
Services:
Architecture, Landscape Architecture
Interior Consultants: Amy Carman Design

Project Goal: Utilize an unfinished story and a half-space to give each daughter a bedroom on the second floor along with a new full bath.
Challenge 1: The sloped ceilings in the area presented a challenge to how we could most cost-effectively add a bathroom within building code limits.
Solution 1: We’ve come across this challenge often when trying to fit a bathroom in sloped ceiling spaces and the budget or roof doesn't support adding a dormer. In these cases, we built out what we call a "vanity soffit", a tall soffit spanning from higher on the angled portion down to a comfortable height above the faucet bringing the upper portion of the flat wall forward. Its width typically depends on lighting needs and other considerations in the space. The vanity soffit allows the vanity to drop back to the original wall maintaining floor space and clearances while also providing just enough additional height for a practical mirror. For further flexibility, we typically recommend a pivoting mirror.
Challenge 2: Homeowners were told the floor structure was sound to finish for living space. Due to the spans, the first-floor ceiling joists did not meet the requirements to be second-floor floor joists.
Solution 2: In order to provide a solid base for the new living space, we consulted our engineer. The existing 2x6 members spanned beyond the distance they could while still structurally supporting the new living space floor. We determined throughout most of the space we needed to add in (“sister”) 2 additional 2x6 joists between the existing joists.
This additional work also took place during an unseasonably warm spell in June yet we persevered. So proud of our hard-working team.
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